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Weapons Of Mass Instruction: A Schoolteacher's Journey Through The Dark World Of Compulsory Schooling (2008)

by John Taylor Gatto(Favorite Author)

4.15 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

0865716315 (ISBN13: 9780865716315)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

New Society Publishers

review 1: It took me a while to wade in here, because at first I found Gatto's writing style a little off putting, and the ideas, though compelling, maybe a little conspiracy theoryish. But by the time I was halfway through, all I could think is that it made a lot of sense. In the end he has mounted a convincing case that American compulsory schooling was designed to control, rather than educate. Worth the read if you can give it 100 pages to grab you.
review 2: John Taylor Gatto is one of those... voices in the wilderness that we all really need to listen to. And one of the things that really sticks out to me is that he is a very gentle man: just watch his interviews on youtube.I have both read this book, in my early days of homeschooling, and listened to it on audio. ... more I think the thing that really strikes me, here, is: What Exactly is the role of public school in our society?? I won't get into my own homeschooling journey (and search for answers to that question) but I will say Mr. Gatto's work opened my eyes in a way they hadn't been opened before. His understanding of children, what they are actually capable of compared to how we treat them, was almost enough to bring one to tears. His struggles to create an educational environment for his pupils border on heroic. I will warn you: John Taylor Gatto is a bit of a 'gateway drug' into the darker underbelly of public school. His books lead me to an almost horror-filled fascination with this subject, and answers to questions I hadn't yet asked. Even if you find Mr. Gatto's claims a bit farther-fetched than you are prepared for, it doesn't take long before you realize Mr. Gatto was actually painting things rosier than how they really stand. less

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